September 22nd marks World Carfree Day, a day where people are encouraged to give up using their personal automobiles and utilize bicycles, public transportation and their own two legs to get around. People all around the world organize and participate in events to demonstrate alternatives to the automobile.
World Carfree Day began as part of the Carbusters organization, founded in 1997, to promote alternatives to car dependence, to help lower greenhouse gas emissions, and in an effort to get governments to create permanent changes in cities to benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and other people who do not drive cars.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2011.